2017 New Zealand Music Awards
# 2017 New Zealand Music Awards

The 2017 New Zealand Music Awards was the 52nd holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. It took place on 16 November 2017 at Spark Arena in Auckland and it was hosted by Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce. The awards show was broadcast live nationally on Three.

Nominations for the 2017 New Zealand Music Awards opened on 21 June 2017, and cover artists who have had commercial recordings released between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2017. Nominations closed on 2 August 2017, and the nominees were announced on 5 October. The artisan award winners will be awarded on 25 October 2017.

## Early awards

While most of the awards will be presented at the main awards ceremony held in November, five genre awards are presented earlier in the year at ceremonies of their field.

* The first was awarded in January, with the Tui for Best Folk Album presented at the Auckland Folk Festival in Kumeu to Kumeu local Guy Wishart for his album West By North.
* In March, the Best Children's Music Album was presented to Anika Moa for her album Songs for Bubbas 2. For 2017, the presentation was moved to March, as part of Children's Day celebrations.
* The Best Country Music Album Tui was presented in June at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in Gore to Jody Direen for her album Shake Up.
* The Tui for Best Pacific Music Album was presented in June at the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards to Aaradhna for her album Brown Girl.
* Also in June, the Tui for Best Jazz Album was presented at the Wellington Jazz Festival to Jonathan Crayford for his recording East West Moon. The award is now part of the Wellington Jazz Festival.

## Nominees and winners

A number of changes have been made to the award categories for 2017:

* The Best Male Solo Artist and Best Female Solo Artist have been amalgamated into Best Solo Artist.
* Following the 2016 controversy, the Best Urban/Hip Hop Album has now been split into two awards: Best Hip Hop Artist and Best Soul/RnB Artist.
* The Critic's Choice Award will not be presented in 2017, and the award will be reevaluated.
* The genre awards are now no longer tied to a specific album, in order to reflect the move away from albums in the current recorded music climate. The awards now focus on the artist, with the eligibility changed to "an album OR a minimum of five single tracks".

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

### Key

    ‡ – Artisan award

| Album of the Year | Single of the Year |
| - | - |
| Sponsored by Godfrey Hirst Lorde – Melodrama Aldous Harding – Party David Dallas – Hood Country Club Fazerdaze – Morningside Leisure – LEISURE SWIDT – Stoneyhunga | Sponsored by Vodafone Lorde – "Green Light" David Dallas – "Fit In" Ladi6 – "Royal Blue" MAALA – "In My Head" SWIDT – "Player of the Day" Theia – "Roam" |
| Best Group | Breakthrough Artist of the Year |
| Sponsor SWIDT Devilskin Leisure Shapeshifter | Sponsor Aldous Harding Fazerdaze Nadia Reid Teeks |
| Best Solo Artist | Best Hip Hop Artist |
| Sponsored by Three Lorde Aldous Harding Kings Nadia Reid | Sponsor SWIDT David Dallas KINGS |
| Best Rock Artist | Best Pop Artist |
| Sponsor Devilskin Clap Clap Riot Graham Brazier | Sponsored by The Edge Lorde Mitch James Theia |
| Best Soul/RnB Artist | Best Roots Artist |
| Sponsor Ladi6 Teeks Tommy Nee | Sponsor Israel Starr Sons of Zion Tomorrow People |
| Best Alternative Artist | Best Māori Artist |
| Sponsor Aldous Harding Fazerdaze Nadia Reid | Sponsored by Te Māngai Pāho Teeks Alien Weaponry Maisey Rika |
| Best Worship Artist | Best Classical Artist |
| Sponsor Curate Music Josh & Amberley Klinkenberg Juliagrace | Sponsor NZTrio Jenny McLeod Te Kōkī Trio |
| Best Electronic Artist | Legacy Award |
| Sponsor Truth Chaos in the CBD K+Lab | Sponsored by The New Zealand Herald No finalists are announced in this category. Sharon O'Neill |
| People's Choice Award | |
| Sponsored by Vodafone Lorde Kings Maala SWIDT Theia | Sponsor |
| Highest selling New Zealand Single | Highest selling New Zealand Album |
| Sponsored by Vodafone No finalists are announced in this category. Kings - "Don't Worry 'Bout It" | Sponsor No finalists are announced in this category. The Koi Boys - Meant To Be |
| Radio Airplay Record of the Year | International Achievement Award |
| Sponsored by NZ On Air No finalists are announced in this category. Kings - "Don't Worry 'Bout It" | Sponsor No finalists are announced in this category. Opetaia Foa'i Lorde |
| Best Music Video‡ | Best Album Cover‡ |
| Sponsored by NZ On AirPresented 25 October 2017 Dan Watkins (Reel Factory) – "Her" (Shapeshifter) Joel Kefali – "Got It Bad" (Leisure) Sam Kristofski – "Lucky Girl" (Fazerdaze) | Sponsor Presented 25 October 2017 Dean Poole & Tyrone Ohia (Alt Group) – Stars" (Shapeshifter) Henrietta Harris – Otherness (Grayson Gilmour) Jamie Robertson – String Theory (Fly My Pretties) |
| Best Engineer‡ | Best Producer‡ |
| Sponsor Presented 25 October 2017 Ben Edwards – Preservation (Nadia Reid) Chris Chetland – A Place to Stand (REI) Clint Murphy – Be Like The River (Devilskin) | Sponsored by Massey UniversityPresented 25 October 2017 Ben Edwards – Preservation (Nadia Reid) Leisure – LEISURE (Leisure) SmokeyGotBeatz – Stoneyhunga (SWIDT) |
| Best Folk Album | Best Children's Music Album |
| Presented 29 January 2017 Guy Wishart – West By North Graeme James – News From Nowhere Luke Thompson – Hosts | Presented 5 March 2017 Anika Moa – Songs for Bubbas 2 Claudia Gunn – Little Wild Lullabies Itty Bitty Beats – On the Move |
| Best Country Music Album | Best Pacific Music Album |
| Presented 1 June 2017 Jody Direen – Shake Up Hamilton County Bluegrass Band – These Old Hands Phil Doublet – Endless Highway | Presented 1 June 2017 Aaradhna – Brown Girl Kings – Kings EP Unity Pacific – Blackbirder Dread |
| Best Jazz Album | |
| Presented 11 June 2017 Jonathan Crayford – East West Moon Mike Nock Trio & NZ Trio – Vicissitudes Myele Manzanza – OnePointOne | |
